Shortwave radio signals travel from the transmitter site,
located usually in a foreign country, to your radio by being bounced
between layers of electrified gases in the upper ionosphere above the
earth and the earth's surface. The gases in the ionosphere are often
turbulent and this means that your reception quality can vary between day
and night, summer and winter and even during the course of a few hours or
several minutes.

The reception of shortwave signals can also be
affected by electrical storms, mountainous terrain, by tall buildings, the
type and cost of your receiver and the kind of antenna it
uses.

Tips for best
shortwave reception

If your shortwave radio is battery powered, you
should ensure that the batteries are fully charged or use your radio on AC
power.

The speakers in portable shortwave radios are often
quite small, but sound quality can sometimes be improved by using
a small ear phone, headphones or an external speaker as in
pictures below.

Change the
location

Try placing your radio in
different locations. Reception is usually better by a
window, especially one facing the direction of the transmitter. Example:
If you're on the East coast of the U.S. and you're trying to listen to a
broadcast from Europe, place the radio on the East or Northeast side of
your home or office near a window facing that direction. Researching a
world map will help you to find the best location relative to the
transmitter. Although placing the radio on a metal object (e.g. a filing
cabinet) may help a bit, very large metal structures such as fire escapes
and elevator shafts, metal walls and roofs, etc. can cause interference or
severe weakening of the signals. Also some domestic appliances, for
example, microwave ovens, televisions, vacuums,
mixers, computers and dozens of other devices can produce severe
interference. Get the shortwave radio as far away from them as
possible.

Your shortwave aerial (antenna) and it's relation to
Shortwave receptionYou should also
experiment with both the length and the direction of the aerial of your
radio. You may experience poor shortwave reception if you are trying
to listen inside a steel-framed or concrete building, but if your
reception improves when you take your radio to a window or near inside
telephone wires, an outside antenna could help because the building is
shielding much of the signal.

Often all that is necessary is to wrap an insulated
copper wire a few feet long around the base of the radio's existing
telescoping antenna. See picture below:

Just wrap the wire
near the case on the telescoping rod. You can experiment with either the
bare uninsulated wire touching the rod or use it with the insulation
if the signals tend to overload the receiver and become
distorted. Hang the end of the wire out of a window, keeping it well away
from metal objects and electricity cables. You can also try wrapping
several turns of insulated wire around inside telephone wires and then
wrapping the other end to the antenna rod on the shortwave receiver. Don't
attach anything to the "inside" of telephone jacks! No direct connections
to telephone lines! You can damage yourself, the radio or the telephone.
Don't attach anything to electrical wires!

As most good-quality portable short wave radios are
designed to be used without an external antenna, adding one can sometimes
cause the radio to overload making the signals distorted, so making a
permanent shortwave antenna without experimenting first is not
recommended. If you're using a better table top receiver, then it probably has circuitry that will compensate for the
overload. Most table top type shortwave receivers have an antenna
connection on the rear for an external antenna so just connect the wire to
it by following the instructions that came with the radio.

If you
decide to attach an optional wind up "reel" type shortwave antenna
extention that is offered by various companies for your radio, then
you might want to take a look at a simple modification to most of them for
additional improvement of your shortwave reception. Click here
for the modification.

Warning

It is important to remember about any outside antenna that
high static voltages can build up on it in thunderstorms. During a
thunderstorm, (actually when you first start hearing thunder), you should
disconnect the aerial from the radio and either ground the disconnected
aerial inside the building to a known good ground or better yet, throw it
out of the window. Most ham (Amateur radio operators) do this even without
thinking to help protect their equipment! When you have fair weather,
don't get the antenna wire near any electrical hazards! Be safe around electricity, both man made and
natural!

How to make simple outdoor antennas for
short-wave receptionIf you want to try making
a more permanent outdoor antenna extension for your radio that will
perform well and increase your Shortwave listening experience, this can be
done easily by clicking here
for some
Shortwave antenna projects
that you can build
yourself very inexpensively. With a good receiver that does not overload,
you'll be surprised at how much they will improve your reception compared
to the built in antenna. Don't be afraid to experiment with different
antennas, you'll find one that works best in your situation. Good luck and
happy listening!

This short article of tips to improve your shortwave
listening should help you get much more listening enjoyment from your
shortwave
receiver.

Recommended Excellent Reference books!

- Passport to World Band
Radio - Loaded with information for shorrtwave
listening!